Content & recipe courtesy of Pam Higgins, Certified Health Coach
Summertime is when we all look forward to longer days, spending more time outdoors, fun at the beach, vacation, BBQs and parties. All of these good times in the hot weather can really heat us up, leaving us feeling exhausted, overheated, drained, heavy and even cranky. Now is a great time to turn to some of summer’s best foods to keep the body and mind cool, light and energetic.
If you’re enjoying too many barbequed and grilled foods, cooked veggies, ice cream and iced coffee that make you feel less than ready to hit the beach, listen up.
Summer’s best foods for cooling us off are cucumbers, crisp lettuce, berries, melons, summer squash, peaches/nectarines, cherries, bell peppers, celery to name a few ““ think high water content produce. Or try cooling teas such as dandelion (great to replace your daily coffee), mint, hibiscus, chamomile, nettle. For the full list of summer foods, check out this fab list from one of my teachers, Dr. John Douillard.
I know it is so downright hot now. To make sure I am beating the heat, I love to start my day with a cup of fresh berries, handful of pumpkin seeds and a cooling smoothie. I make a cooling tea to enjoy the rest of the morning and save some to cool me off during the afternoon, when I tend to heat up.
Many of my clients suffer with headaches, digestive issues and tend to get rashes in the summer because of the heat. Digestion slows down in the summer, so it’s important to eat cooling and easy-to-digest foods. Healthy Digestion is truly the key to your happiness. Did you know that 90 percent of your serotonin is manufactured in the digestive system?
I talk a lot about rebooting your system because not only does it mean simple and effortless weight loss but it means feeling happy, satisfied and refreshed every day. So let’s reboot and refresh for everyday happiness with my favorite Superfood Smoothie.
For a great smoothie, don’t worry about throwing every superfood in it or throwing every ingredient but the kitchen sink in your smoothie, keep it simple. We thrive when life is simpler and less complicated. Stick with 3-5 ingredients.
Mango Superfood Smoothie
Ingredients
1 cup water or your favorite non-dairy milk
3 Tbsp. hemp seeds (for protein””may substitute with a high-quality protein powder of choice)
1 cup mango, fresh or frozen
Handful cooling leafy greens (romaine, spinach, kale)
½ teaspoon spirulina powder (optional)
½ teaspoon raw honey or 2 drops liquid stevia (optional)
Directions
Combine in blender and blend until smooth. Add extra ice if you’d like.
For more info about rebooting, renewing and refreshing for a lifetime: check out my signature summer smoothies recipes: a grand total of 89 recipes to recharge and renew your body daily.
Pam Higgins, Certified Health Coach, AADP received her credentials from The Institute for Integrative Nutrition in 2010. Pam is the Founder of Total Health Counseling, LLC and www.